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It's a GIRL!

We waited for this day for so long. There we were staring at the screen watching our little one moving all around, mouth opening and closing, hands going up and down. The technician switched over to 3D and there before our eyes was the image of our lovey's little face. I looked over at my husband with tears in my eyes and I could see the astonishment in his expression. This was our baby. The technician warned us when to look away. We weren't going to find out the gender until that night when we would gather with family and friends.

I delivered the sealed envelope to the baker right after our appointment. And yes, it was still sealed. You have to understand how difficult this was for me. Everyone in my family knows I am the one who simply cannot wait for surprises. Like the one Christmas when I sliced open my gifts while mom and dad were gone...only to have my little sister tattle tale on me. I would always go on scavenger hunts to find hidden gifts or reveal secrets so knowing that envelope held one of the biggest secrets of my life was near torture!!! Even worse was when the cake was delivered and I knew just layers below that icing was the secret I was DYING to know!!

Understand something. I've done EVERYTHING I can to try and guess the gender. My early ultra sound between 6 and 7 weeks produced an unknown result for the Ramzi method. My ultra sounds at 9 and 10 weeks were too early to tell the Nub theory that is usually seen at 12 weeks. I researched (we'll use this term loosely) every Old Wives Tale to try and make an "educated" guess...but this only proved to be a divided line of some boy and other girl signs. The funny thing would be to hear all the guesses, "Oh, you're carrying low - it MUST be a boy!" then another "Yep, it's definitely a girl, I can tell."

This entire time I have been convinced I was carrying a boy. We had our girl name picked out even before this baby was conceived but we just couldn't be as confident and 100% "sold" on the boy names we kept suggesting. This was another reason I was convinced it was a boy. Most of the hints and predictors seemed to point to a boy. The heartbeat has been consistently in the 140's and I felt certain we needed to be prepared to see teal icing in the center of that cake. I tried to prepare everyone, especially my husband and son who have been "Team Girl" from the beginning. The pressure was on with the "majority vote" being for a girl and I didn't want anyone to be disappointed when and if it was a boy.

Our guests kept asking if we were cutting the cake first and somehow we managed to get through sharing a meal together...but not long after that it was time! We got the cake set up and called our out of state family on Facetime so they could watch the reveal. With family and friends gathered around, we prepared to cut the cake.

I was prepared. Prepared to see teal icing. Prepared for a second boy. Prepared for more dirt and worms and Legos. What I was not prepared for was the overwhelming surprise and my undeniable excitement when we pulled out that slice of cake only to reveal PURPLE icing! "IT'S A GIRL!!!"

I was SHOCKED!!! Michael later said he couldn't even process what was happening and thought somehow I might have cut myself instead of the cake because of the screaming. We were all screaming in excitement and disbelief. It was the last thing I expected to see. Purple icing. I kept staring at the layers in disbelief then remembered the baker had given us back the gender envelope. I quickly removed the tape and opened it up. Sure enough! This was not a joke! There she was in living proof. OUR GIRL!

I can share this now that we know...but a few weeks ago something came to mind. Something I hadn't thought about in over 7 years. I had always wanted a girl. I have enjoyed the close friendship of my own mother-daughter relationship. I am, as no surprise to anyone, a girly-girl so the thought of all the frills has always been, of course, a desire of mine. During the adoption process that wasn't an option for several reasons, none of which I will truly discuss, but suffice to say it was a desire I buried and put out of my mind. In fact, I was just so elated to become a mother it didn't matter if it was a boy or a girl. Until just a few weeks ago, that desire started to resurface. After 7 years, it caught me off guard. Especially since I was so convinced this baby would be another boy. I kept telling the Lord, "I don't want to be disappointed - and I won't be! Because I love being the mom of a boy and I will love it again!" At the same time, I couldn't figure out if it was the "majority vote" or truly the desire of my heart that seemed to be swaying my affections to "Team Girl."

Even as I prepared to quiet my mind and heart after such a full evening of joy and celebration, it was all I could do to ask, "How God? How could You see fit to so abundantly bless me? I don't deserve any of this - at all - and yet every single desire and detail You have worked out for my good and my joy." It is humbling to come face-to-face with this reality and yet it causes me to do nothing other than praise and give Him thanks.

Yes, we are having a girl and we couldn't be more thrilled. But I must stand back and give God ALL the glory for each and every miracle that He alone has worked in our lives. The mere fact Michael and I have the blessing of sharing life together, let alone bringing a baby into this world, to have the desire of our hearts fulfilled on so many levels, is a constant reminder of how much He loves us. How He works everything according to His plan. How what others meant for evil, He will use for good and ultimately His glory. This baby girl is yet another answer to prayer AND a reminder to give Him all the praise and glory He is due.

We praise You, Lord, for You are fearfully and wonderfully fashioning and forming our Baby Girl. We can't wait to meet her!

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